Ralegan Siddhi, Sep 10: Diversifying his campaign against corruption to electoral reform, social activist Anna Hazare will write to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, seeking his views on having an annual performance audit of the MPs.
“In the letter, Anna would be asking the PM whether he thinks there should be an annual performance audit of MPs. On the basis of this people should have the right to recall elected representatives,” Team Anna core committee member Arvind Kejriwal told reporters after the group met here.
“Hazare also wants to know from PM what are his views on having a ‘none of the above' button on ballot papers (EVMs). Also, if majority of voters prefer the ‘none of the above' button, there should be a provision to reject the candidate,” he said.
Asked what would be their response of the PM does not reply, Kejriwal said, “Let us write the letter first”.
Asked about BJP leader L K Advani's announcement of a country-wide yatra against corruption, Kejriwal made light of it, saying, “The country wants a Jan Lokpal bill, not yatra.” On National Advisory Committee member Aruna Roy, who has been critical of Hazare's agitation for passing Jan Lokpal bill, Kejriwal said, “What she is talking is against law and Constitution.”
“Aruna Roy alleges that we do not discuss with her. What she is saying is not all right. We have been discussing with her. We have tried a lot to talk to her but she is not ready to talk to us. Let Roy and her team come on an open stage. We are ready to talk,” he said, reflecting sharp divisions in the civil society on the issue. Roy does not have a (draft) Bill but only a proposal, Kejriwal said.
Key members of Team Anna - including Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, Santosh Hegde, Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan and Manish Sisodia - attended the meeting. The two-day brainstorming session, the first formal engagement of the group after Hazare's fast last month, would conclude tomorrow. Prashant Bhushan said it is essential that there should not be land acquisition without the nod of gram sabha.
“There are larger issues like participatory democracy, which would be discussed in detail,” he said.
Bedi said no one can attribute a motive to Hazare except that of national interest. “He does not have a hidden agenda,” she said.
“We have to see if each of the 31 members of the standing committee (of Parliament looking at different shades of opinion on anti-corruption ombudsman) speaks for the common man or heeds to their respective party high commands whose interests lie elsewhere,” she said.
Social activist Medha Patkar said the Jan Lokpal bill draft of Team Anna is “within the Constitution”. Meeting for the first time here, Anna Hazare and his core group today decided that he will write to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on electoral reforms and performance audit of MPs, including the right to recall of elected representatives and right to reject.
Hazare, who is leading a campaign for a strong Lokpal bill to check corruption, will write to the Prime Minister seeking his views on these issues as also the land acquisition bill.
Top members of the core group, including Arvind Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan, Santosh Hegde, Kiran Bedi and Medha Patkar, attended the meeting held for the first time in the village where Hazare has done a lot of work.
“On behalf of the movement, Anna Hazare will be writing to the Prime Minister seeking his views on the annual performance audit of MPs, right to reject, right to recall and land acquisition bill,” Kejriwal told a press conference at the end of the proceedings on the first day of the two-day meeting.
Kejriwal said Hazare will seek Singh's views on performance audit of MPs and on that basis whether there is a need for right to reject or right to recall. He said for right to reject, there was no need for any change in law. On the issue of right to reject and recall, he said, Team Anna members will meet Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi soon.
Kejriwal said Hazare will also ask the Prime Minister whether the proposed land acquisition bill should have provisions ensuring that the nod of gram sabhas should be taken before acquiring land for any development project.
On Aruna Roy's remarks that Team Anna was not willing for discussions, Kejriwal said that was not the case and they had several rounds of discussions with Roy and her team. He claimed that Roy's team had not drafted any law but only has proposals. He said Team Anna and Roy differ on three issues—on the inclusion of Prime Minister and lower bureaucracy and citizen's charter.
“We are open to talks. We invite Roy and her team for a public debate,” he said.
Asked about senior BJP leader L K Advani's ‘yatra' against corruption, Kejriwal said what they want was “not an yatra but passing of Lokpal Bill”.
“All political parties which are opposed to corruption, should come together to get the bill passed. They should ensure that their MPs vote in Standing Committee and Parliament for Jan Lokpal bill,” he said. PTI
